Departure: Saint Malo, July 7, 7 AM Arrival: Île-de-Bréhat, July 7, 8 PM Nautical miles: 35
After a couple of stormy days in Saint Malo we off to Île-de-Bréhat, where we met up with our friends on Esperanza again. The island is stunning and, like the rest of the French west coast, characterised by the volatile tides. In the afternoon we could SUP where we would have been able walk in the morning. We spent a couple of days here, hiking around the island, wing foiling and enjoying one of the most beautiful rainbows we’ve ever seen – incredibly vivid and bright colours, double, and we could see one end from out boat.
Departure: Île-de-Bréhat, July 9 Arrival: Crozon, July 13 Nautical miles: 94
*With stops in Plage de Trégastel, Île de Batz and Aber Wrac’h
The sail to the peninsula of Crozon was quite perfect and we could slowly start to feel the sun starting to beam out through the heavy grey skies. While we were anchored in Roscanvel, we were treated to one of the most epic experiences of our lives, as a wild dolphin stopped by the anchorage to play by the anchor chains of the boats in the bay. We quickly jumped on our paddleboards to get a closer look. We stayed with a respectful distance, but as the dolphin seemed completely unfazed by us, we got to go quite close – lying on our paddleboards looking at this beautiful creature, our hears overfilled with happiness.
The Crozon is a beautiful peninsula and we enjoyed a few lovely hikes there while we were anchored in the bay – among the lush green, wildflowers and the many remains of wars past from the ruins of an old fort to abandoned WW II bunkers. On the way home we even said hello to a few horses and Pernille’s day was made.
Departure: Crozon, July 15 Arrival: Morgat, July 77 Nautical miles: 37
*With stops in Brest and Pen Hir
On the way to Morgat we made a few stops to meet up with friends. In Brest we had a lovely time hanging out with Leo’s windsurfing friend Quentin, and in Pen Hir we waited for our friend Mark to arrive, who had likewise sailed from Copenhagen with his crew, albeit a bit faster than us and a little more motoring.
As we sailed together towards Morgat, the boys decided to try wakeboarding behind Mark’s sailboat Tuuletar since we had to motor there anyway), but of course that wasn’t enough for the two surfing buddies and as soon as we’d dropped anchor, the boys were off to great Esperanza welcome on their wing foils. We now became a little Flotilla of three boats and 7 people. It was a bit strange to get used to socialising to this degree again, after a year of lockdowns and months of sailing primarily on our own.
As summer had really caught up on us, we were quickly drawn by the cooling properties of the Caves surrounding Morgat, they provided great shelter from the burning sun and it was fascinating to explore these amazing geological formations. Some small, some big, some wide some narrow. In the right tide one can walk or paddle into them. The sound, light and temperature changes as soon as you enter and something magnificent overcomes you. Something calming or stressful, if not a little claustrophobic. But in most cases one is most likely to enjoy the view from the inside out. This deep blue light is mesmerising. Next time we will try to capture it from underwater. The Morgat caves are spectacular to visit – they are numerous, some quite deep and dramatic, while others are lush green and with the contrast of the clear blue water on a sunny day, they seem almost tropical. We spent a lovely day with our little Flotilla and Quentin – swimming, exploring the caves and grilling in the evening, the perfect summer day!
Departure: Morgat, July 20 Arrival: Glénan Islands, July 21 Nautical miles: 59
*With a night stop in Baie des Trépassés (also known as the bay of the dead) after 14 miles
Following numerous advice we spontaneously decided to head out to the Glenan islands – a small archipelago of scattered Islands, rocks and shoals. The sail to the Glénan archipelago was on of the most beautiful on our entire journey; On our way to the islands we spotted 3-4 pods of dolphins, 2 of which actually came by to swim along our bow. We also saw a large tuna jumping and some schools of smaller fish – all giving the hopeful impression that the undergoing conservation efforts in the area are paying off.
As the decision to go to the Glénan was quite spontaneous (e.g. late in the day) and our engine capabilities are limited we didn’t make it before dark, which wasn’t too great considering all the shoals and rocks, but somehow we managed to arrive and anchor quite well along the other sailboats. We therefore had no idea what we would wake up to. Happily it was clear water, nice beaches and so many boats, little sailing dinghies, windsurfers and kitesurfers. A small paradise for watersport lovers and marine life.
Bretagne treated us so well with sun, wind, dolphins, good company, sunsets and all that while being surrounded by such magnificent landscapes. It turned out to be one of our favourite places to sail on the whole trip around the European continent.
A Green Heading 